Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by Hopfenpeter:

The beer is a clear amber, with a half a finger of white bubbly head. It dissipates fast leaving good lacing.The smell is of malt, bread, caramel , some hop.Tasting the beer, there is a good fruity hop flavor up front. The middle is dominated by bread and malt flavors. The finish is a balanced hop. Nice drinkable medium bodied beer.

More User Reviews:

Pours a lighter copper color with medium head that leaves some slight lacing,a strong smell to it some fruitiness to it and very malty kind of a weird smell hard to place.The taste starts out a little sweet but there is some dryness in the middle ending with a malty finish and aftertaste.Not a bad beer but seems a little rough around the edges.

T: clean malt up front, a touch sweet on the front of the tongue. some grapefruit comes through mid mouth then followed by a balanced but rather boring hop profile and bitter. slightly nutty. finishes pretty dry with hints of apples.

M: mouthfeel is what you'd expect from a simple, easy drinkin beer like this. good carbonation level, creamy, makes it easy drinking and refreshing.

D: easy to put down but not interesting enough for me to want another.

S - Mostly just the grain bill. The nose is heavy on crystal malt. There is a little hop smell, but it is hard to distinguish because it is not fruity, or floral, or earthy.

T - There is some dark malts ( a little hint of toasted flavors) and a little biscuitiness to it. The hops are a little sweet/fruity at the end, which give the beer a decent blend. There is a very subtle bitter hop finish.

M - A light to medium bodied beer that is fairly carbonated.

D - The thinner body and low ABV make it very drinkable, but it just doesn't taste that good, so I don't really want to have that many.

Taste: Smooth, malty and crisp. Notes of caramel and toasted malts aid in an almost chewy upfront mouthfeel. Alcohol notes are definitely present, and hide nicely behind a mild hop spiciness. Right in the middle, for a brief second, a lemony hop flavour punches through. A touch of citrus rind and herbal follows, continuing right into the aftertaste. Finishes slightly dry, with a bit of hop oil and malt huskiness.

Notes: Damn, this is one fine ale. Very well balanced, extremely drinkable and suprisingly warming. Makes me wonder what the abv is as my head heats up and my belly warms. It costs nearly $9 a 6-pak in Cambridge, MA ... but man is it worth it. Another fine ale from Mendocino Brewing Co. Buy some now.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a pint glass. The label has no freshness date or abv%.

Appearance: It has an orange amber body with good clarity and is capped off by with a tall loose foam head. This tall white head fades quickly and sets up a thin film covering that just hangs on. As it slides down the glass it makes some slick lacing.

Smell: There is a mild sweet bready malt aroma with a nice backing of dry leafy/herbal hops.

Taste/Palate: I get a nice candy and caramel sweetness with light toasty bready notes and just a hint of fruitiness. The hops come in late and finish with some mild bitterness for balance. Its medium bodied, easy drinking and nicely carbonated.

Notes: There’s not too much to say, it’s a good basic Amber Ale. Its not mind blowing but it is still a decent, enjoyable beer.

On tap @ Redbones. Mild hazed pale amber orange hue with a thin off white lace that has decent stickage from its creamy bubbly form.

Faint toasted grain and flowery citric hop in the aroma.

Moderate body, clean crispness. Big citrusy hop with a very ample bitterness, flavour from the hop lingers in a rind pungency. Malt and grain flavours tread in the back drop with a light estery fruity alcohol. Finishes slightly dry.

Good drinking here, real easy to go down and with the usual trademark APA characteristics.

12 oz bottle pours a clear, red/orange amber with an ivory head that is minimal and short lived but fades into patches of sheety lacing. Aroma is a pleasant meld of fruity and piney hops and pale and caramel malt graininess. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and moderately carbonated. Taste is slightly sweet with caramel and apples, but plenty of citrus, pine, and grassy hops keep it well balanced. Finishes crisp and slightly dry, with a polite note of hop bitterness. Very nice red ale, that I hope to sample again.

I don't normally like "fruity-tasting" beer but I really enjoyed this. Poured bright red with a medium off-white head. Floral aroma with strawberries and pale malt. Sweet, but not overpowering. Good balance of citrus hops, caramel malt, and the kiwi-strawberry flavor. Very smooth.

Beer is a dark mirky cloudy amber with white head. Head is gone rahter quickly. The retention on the glass is pretty good.

Smells of citrus, pine, carmel, brown sugar come out.

Taste is pretty good. A somewhat bitter beer but does have some sweetness to counter the bitterness. Beer finishes a little bitter nothing over the top. Pretty refreshing beer that I have to be careful not to drink to fast.

Beer is low in carbonation and is nicely balanced. A couple of these is a nice treat to a weekend watching the baseball game.

Good auburn color, pour it right, and you get a solid inch of beige head. Aroma, equal parts wood tanins and a bitter hop nose lingers.

Taste, a little heavier than one would expect from the appearance. Solid, balanced English ale interpretation with a little CA hopping. Sometimes the quality can vary wildly with Red Tail, but more often than not, you get a relatively solid built beer with good malt and hop bills.

Nice pour, head is a consistent 1/4 inch of medium bubbles. Murky amber color. A little hoppiness and "wet canvas" to the smell. Not well balanced, hops are tangy and somewhat explosive. Some creaminess to the malts that adds body. If I have a major criticism, its in the lack of complexity of the malt sweetness, and way too much vinegary funk going on, piling on with the hops. Drank a second one directly from the bottle and it was extremely sour in this presentation. I'd like to try it on tap to see if there are a number of bottle runs that are not well-done...